Rachel Maddow and Hate Speech: Are there examples of the left spewing vitriol?

[Pryderi]

I received the following email:

Any time you target a certain group of people on one side of the political spectrum and talk about their hate speech and their intent to incite violence like Maddow and Beck do and do not mention that there is like minded actions and speech coming from the side you represent, then you are inciting anger towards that one side only

[Hugabear]

1. I would challenge anyone to present an example of Maddow inciting violence

I challenge anyone to come up with an example of Maddow, Olbermann, or any other progressive talk-show host using their show to incite violence.

[Pancho Sanza]

2. The email was from e e cummings

right?

[Warren DeMontague]

4. It was from Ezra Pound

he's in the captain's tower, fighting with T.S. Eliot.

[Warren DeMontague]

3. Ask the mystery emailer to provide you with examples.

Otherwise, they are full of shit.

[Pryderi]

5. No list yet, but there is this follow up

Maddow talks about the threats against Democrats and the destruction of their headquarters, etc. Does she mention the same things happening to Republicans? Nope. Like Beck, she places blame on a group of people, such as Sarah Palin, for ...example, and leaves out mentioning that the very same things she is accusing others of has been also done by her side of the political spectrum. Therefore, she is directing anger and inciting violence towards that group of people. Hate speech is hate speech no matter who says it unless the admit that it is coming from all sides and needs to stop. She isn't trying to stop hate speech until she does this.

I think the real incivility in American political culture is the attempt to blame every crazy killer on your political opponents, usually on Palin or the tea parties. But, I have heard Beck spout enough about Obama, etc. to certainly make it a tie as to who spreads the most hate speech.

I have seen enough hate speech directed towards the tea party movement where it wouldn't surprise me if one of them is the next target.

In order to stop the hate speech, we need to quit directing our anger towards one political branch and towards all of them if they do something hateful.

[Warren DeMontague]

9. Ask him or her if they don't risk a leg injury with all that backpedaling.

First it was "Maddow incites violence", now she's guilty because she omitted to mention vandalism of GOP Campaign offices?

You must be dealing with a very strong individual, if they're able to quickly and repeatedly move those goalposts like that.

[Pryderi]

10. Thanks for catching that! :)

[Pryderi]

11. Actually, it looks like he's arguing that by omitting crimes against the right incites violence

against people from the right?

[gratuitous]

6. It depends on many things

First, if you want to define "vitriol" down sufficiently, a lot of truthful statements about the reactionary right (like, that they're "reactionary") can pass as "vitriol." I don't buy it myself, but I've seen enough false equivalencies peddled in the last few days to stuff a king size mattress.

The larger question, and it seems to have gotten lost for some reason, is "Who has acted on all this vitriol?" We know that Jim Adkisson shot up that church in Tennessee heavily influenced by Bernard Goldberg's lunatic rantings. We know that Byron Williams was on his way to the Tides Foundation in California driving a vehicle packed to the gills with firearms and ammunition. The Tides Foundation figured prominently in Glenn Beck's program.

Again, who has acted in response to the vitriol? And why has this question submerged in favor of a "both sides do it" narrative?

[upi402]

7. Calling Bush a Nazi is a valid argument, and not = to inciting violence

24x7's on many cable channels and radio stations.

They show a private individual and make a false equivalency argument.

Not valid.

[scarletwoman]

8. Send him/her Kalyke's list:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=176149&mesg_id=176149

Then ask the emailer for their list of all the violent acts perpetrated by the left.

[chollybocker]

12. Beck incites the cocking of rifles.

Rachel incites the serving of cocktails.

To some, this is equivalent.